Apenalty kick (commonly known as apenalty or aspot kick) is a method of restarting play inassociation football, in which a player is allowed to take a single shot at the goal while it is defended only by the opposing team'sgoalkeeper. It is awarded when anoffence punishable by adirect free kick is committed by a player in their ownpenalty area. The shot is taken from the penalty spot, which is 11 metres (12 yards) from the goal line and centered between the touch lines.
The ball is placed on the penalty spot, regardless of where the foul occurred within the penalty area. The player taking the kick must be identified to the referee. Only the kicker and the defending team's goalkeeper are allowed to be within the penalty area; all other players must be within the field of play, outside the penalty area, behind the penalty mark, and at least 9.15 m (10 yd) from the penalty mark (this distance is denoted by the penalty arc).[1] The goalkeeper is allowed to move before the ball is kicked, but must remain on the goal-line between the goal-posts, facing the kicker, without touching the goalposts, crossbar, or goal net. At the moment the kick is taken, the goalkeeper must have at least part of one foot touching, or in line with, the goal line. The assistant referee responsible for the goal line where the penalty kick is being taken is positioned at the intersection of the penalty area and goal line, and assisting the referee in detecting infringements and determining whether a goal is scored.
The referee blows the whistle to indicate that the penalty kick may be taken. The penalty taker may not kick the ball before the whistle is blown. The kicker may make feinting (deceptive or distracting) movements during the run-up to the ball, but may not do so once the run-up is completed. The kick and the last step the kicker takes must be in motion. The ball must be stationary before the kick, and it must be kicked forward. The ball is in play once it is kicked and moves, and at that time other players may enter the penalty area and the penalty arc. The kicker may not touch the ball a second time until it has been touched by another player of either team or goes out of play (including into the goal); if the ball hits the goalpost or crossbar, without the goalkeeper having made contact with it, and rebounds into play, the kicker may not touch it again until after another player has done so.
In case of an infringement of the laws of the game during a penalty kick, most commonly entering the penalty area illegally, the referee must consider both whether the ball entered the goal, and which team(s) committed the offence. If both teams commit an offence, the penalty kick is retaken.
The following infringements committed by the kicking team result in anindirect free kick for the defending team, regardless of the outcome of the kick:
a teammate of the identified kicker kicks the ball instead (the player who took the kick iscautioned)
kicker feints kicking the ball at the end of the run-up (the kicker is cautioned)
kick does not go forward
kicker deliberately touches the ball a second time before it touches another player (includes rebounds off the goal posts or crossbar)
In the case of a player repeatedly infringing the laws during the penalty kick, the referee may caution the player for persistent infringement. All offences that occur before kick may be dealt with in this manner, regardless of the location of the offence.
If the ball touches an outside agent (i.e., an object foreign to the playing field) as it moves forward from the kick, the kick is retaken.
A two-man penalty, or "tap" penalty, occurs when the kicker, instead of shooting for goal, taps the ball slightly forward so that a teammate can run on to it and shoot or pass. If properly executed, it is a legal play since the kicker is not required to shoot for goal and need only kick the ball forward. This strategy relies heavily on the element of surprise, as it first requires the goalkeeper to believe the kicker will actually shoot, then dive or move to one side in response. It then requires the goalkeeper to remain out of position long enough for the kicker's teammate to reach the ball before any defenders, and for that teammate to place a shot on the undefended side of the goal.
Arsenal playersThierry Henry andRobert Pires failed in an attempt at a similar penalty in 2005, during aPremier League match againstManchester City atHighbury. Pires ran in to take the kick, attempted to pass to the onrushing Henry, but miskicked and the ball hardly moved; as he had slightly touched the ball, he could not touch it again, and City defenderSylvain Distin cleared the ball before Henry could shoot.[6]
American goalkeeperKasey Keller saves a penalty kick taken byThierry Henry in aMajor League Soccer match.An example of a penalty kick scored during an Under-16 French amateur match.A penalty being scored byRyan Valentine (red, no. 3).
Defending against a penalty kick is one of the most difficult tasks a goalkeeper can face. Owing to the short distance between the penalty spot and the goal, there is very little time to react to the shot. Because of this, the goalkeeper will usually start their dive before the ball is actually struck. In effect, the goalkeeper must act on their best prediction about where the shot will be aimed. Some goalkeepers decide which way they will dive beforehand, thus giving themselves a good chance of diving in time. Others try to read the kicker's motion pattern. On the other side, kickers often feign and prefer a relatively slow shot in an attempt to foil the goalkeeper. The potentially most fruitful approach, shooting high and centre, i.e., in the space that the goalkeeper will evacuate, also carries the highest risk of shooting above the bar (or even hitting it).
As the shooter makes their approach to the ball, the goalkeeper has only a fraction of a second to "read" the shooter's motions and decide where the ball will go. If their guess is correct, this may result in a missed penalty.Helmut Duckadam,Steaua București's goalkeeper, saved a record four consecutive penalties in the1986 European Cup Final againstBarcelona. He dived three times to the right and a fourth time to his left to save all penalties taken, securing victory for his team.
A goalkeeper may also rely on knowledge of the shooter's past behaviour to inform their decision. An example of this would be by formerNetherlands national team goalkeeperHans van Breukelen, who always had a box with cards with all the information about the opponent's penalty specialist. Ecuadorian goalkeeperMarcelo Elizaga saving a penalty fromCarlos Tevez in a2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier betweenEcuador andArgentina, revealed that he had studied some penalty kicks from Tevez and suspected he was going to shoot to the goalkeeper's left side. Two other examples occurred during the2006 FIFA World Cup:
The quarter-final match between Argentina andGermany also came down to penalties, and German goalkeeperJens Lehmann was seen looking at a piece of paper kept in his sock before each Argentinian player would come forward for a penalty kick. Lehmann had researched the penalty taking habits of seven players on the Argentinian team. However, only two players on his list ended up taking a penalty that day. On the attempts by those two players, Lehmann saved one and came close to saving the other. He then had to guess onEsteban Cambiasso's kick since he did not have any information written on his list about Cambiasso. However, he derived an educated guess from the videos he had studied and pretended to read the piece of paper and nodded his head before putting it away, implying to Cambiasso that he did in fact have information on the kicker. Lehmann guessed correctly and saved the penalty, thus winning the shootout for Germany.[8] "Lehmann's list" became so popular in the annals of German football history that it is now in theHaus der Geschichte museum.
This approach may not always be successful; the player may intentionally switch from their favoured spot after witnessing the goalkeeper obtaining knowledge of their kicks. Most times, especially in amateur football, the goalkeeper is often forced to guess.Game theoretic research shows that both the penalty taker and also the goalkeeper must randomize their strategies in precise ways to avoid having the opponent take advantage of their predictability.[9]
The goalkeeper also may try to distract the penalty taker, as the expectation is on the penalty taker to succeed, hence more pressure on the penalty taker, making them more vulnerable to mistakes. For example, in the2008 UEFA Champions League Final betweenManchester United andChelsea, United goalkeeperEdwin van der Sar pointed to his left side whenNicolas Anelka stepped up to take a shot in the penalty shoot out. This was because all of Chelsea's penalties went to the left. Anelka's shot instead went to Van der Sar's right, which was saved.Liverpool goalkeeperBruce Grobbelaar used a method of distracting the players called the "spaghetti legs" trick to help his club defeatRoma to win the1984 European Cup. This tactic was emulated in the2005 UEFA Champions League Final, which Liverpool also won, by Liverpool goalkeeperJerzy Dudek, helping his team defeatMilan.
An illegal method of saving penalties is for the goalkeeper to make a quick and short jump forward just before the penalty taker connects with the ball. This not only shuts down the angle of the shot, but also distracts the penalty taker. The method was used byBrazilian goalkeeperCláudio Taffarel.FIFA was less strict on the rule during that time. In more recent times, FIFA has advised all referees to strictly obey the rule book.[citation needed]
Similarly, a goalkeeper may also attempt to delay a penalty by cleaning their boots, asking the referee to see if the ball is placed properly and other delaying tactics. This method builds more pressure on the penalty taker, but the goalkeeper may risk punishments, most likely a yellow card.
A goalkeeper can also try to distract the taker by talking to them prior to the penalty being taken. Netherlands national team goalkeeperTim Krul used this technique during the penalty shootout in the quarter-final match of the2014 FIFA World Cup againstCosta Rica. As the Costa Rican players were preparing to take the kick, Krul told them that he "knew where they were going to put their penalty" in order to "get in their heads".[10] This resulted in him saving two penalties and the Netherlands winning the shootout 4–3.
Even if the goalkeeper succeeds in blocking the shot, the ball may rebound back to the penalty taker or one of their teammates for another shot, with the goalkeeper often in a poor position to make a second save. This makes saving penalty kicks more difficult. This is not a concern inpenalty shoot-outs, where only a single shot is permitted.
While penalty kicks are considerably more often successful than not, missed penalty kicks are not uncommon: for instance, of the 78 penalty kicks taken during the2005–06 English Premier League season, 57 resulted in a goal, thus almost 30% of the penalties were unsuccessful.[15]
A German professor who has been studying penalty statistics in theGerman Bundesliga for 16 years found 76% of all the penalties during those 16 years went in, and 99% of the shots in the higher half of the goal went in[citation needed], although the higher half of the goal is a more difficult target to aim at. Penalty kicks in the Bundesliga were scored 74.25% when considering all penalty kicks between 1963/1964 and 2003/2004.[16] The conversion rate between 2008/2009 and 2021/2022 in different European leagues was higher (running from 76.5% in the Primera Division to 79.8% in the Eredivisie).[17] Penalty kicks taken during shootouts in the World Cup were only scored 69.4% of the time.[18] During his career, Italian strikerRoberto Baggio had two occurrences where his shot hit the upper bar, bounced downwards, rebounded off the keeper and passed the goal line for a goal.
A penalty kick is awarded whenever an offence that would attract a direct free-kick is committed by a player within that player's own penalty area while the ball is in play (the ball must be in play at the time of the offence, but it doesnot need to be within the penalty area at that time). These include:[19][20]
handball (excluding handling offences committed by the goalkeeper)[21]
any of the following offences against an opponent, if committed in a manner considered by the referee to be careless, reckless or using excessive force:[21]
charges
jumps at
kicks or attempts to kick
pushes
strikes or attempts to strike (including head-butt)
throws an object at the ball, an opponent or a match official, or makes contact with the ball with a held object (the location of the offence is considered to be the position where the object struck or would have struck the person or the ball, or the nearest boundary line if this is off the field of play).[22]
any physical offence against a team-mate, substitute, substituted or sent-off player, team official or a match official[23]
a player who requires the referee's permission to re-enter the field of play, substitute, substituted player, sent-off player, or team official enters the field of play without the referee's permission, and interferes with play[24] (A rare example of this offence occurred in an October 2019 match betweenHolstein Kiel andVfL Bochum: Kiel substituteMichael Eberwein, warming up behind his own team's goal-line, kicked the ball before it had gone out of play. The referee awarded a penalty to Bochum afterVAR review.)[25][26]
a player who requires the referee's permission to re-enter the field of play, substitute, substituted player, sent-off player or team official is on the field of play without the referee's permission while that person's team scores a goal (the goal is disallowed; the location of the offence is considered to be the location of the offender at the time the disallowed goal was scored).[27]
a player temporarily off the field of play, substitute, substituted player, sent-off player or team official throws or kicks an object onto the field of play, and the object interferes with play, an opponent, or a match official (the location of the offence is considered to be the place where the thrown or kicked object interfered with play, or struck or would have struck the opponent, match official or the ball).[28]
A penalty kick is also awarded if, while the ball is in play, a player, substitute, substituted player, sent-off player or team official commits any direct free-kick offence against a match official or against an opposing player, substitute, substituted player, sent-off player, or team official outside the field of play, provided that the closest boundary line to the location of the offence is within the offending team's own penalty area.[29]
The original laws of the game, in 1863, had no defined punishments for infringements of the rules.[30] In 1872, theindirect free kick was introduced as a punishment for illegal handling of the ball; it waslater extended to other offences.[31] This indirect free-kick was thought to be an inadequate remedy for a handball which prevented an otherwise-certain goal.[32] As a result of this, in 1882 a law was introduced toaward a goal to a team prevented from scoring by an opponent's handball. This law lasted only one season before being abolished in 1883.
One possible reason for its abolition is that it was felt to be too harsh, especially given the imprecise nature of refereeing at the time. Another possibility is that it was simply not seen as necessary, as the indirect free kick was thought to be a sufficient punishment for most handball offenses.
Two incidents in the 1890–1 season lent additional force to the argument for the penalty kick. On 20 December 1890, in theScottish Cup quarter-final betweenEast Stirlingshire andHeart of Midlothian Jimmy Adams[35] fisted the ball out from under the bar,[36][37] and on 14 February 1891, there was a blatant goal-line handball by aNotts County player in theFA Cup quarter-final againstStoke City.
Finally after much debate, the International Football Association Board approved the idea on 2 June 1891.[38][39] The penalty-kick law ran:
If any player shall intentionally trip or hold an opposing player, or deliberately handle the ball, within twelve yards [11 m] from his own goal-line, the referee shall, on appeal, award the opposing side a penalty kick, to be taken from any point twelve yards [11 m] from the goal-line, under the following conditions:— All players, with the exception of the player taking the penalty kick and the opposing goalkeeper (who shall not advance more than six yards [5.5 m] from the goal-line) shall stand at least six yards [5.5 m] behind the ball. The ball shall be in play when the kick is taken, and a goal may be scored from the penalty kick.[40]
Some notable differences between this original 1891 law and today's penalty-kick are listed below:
It was awarded for an offence committed within 12 yards (11 m) of the goal-line (thepenalty area was not introduced until 1902).
It could be taken from any point along a line 12 yards (11 m) from the goal-line (thepenalty spot was likewise not introduced until 1902).
The goalkeeper was allowed to advance up to 6 yards (5.5 m) from the goal-line.
The world's first penalty kick was awarded just 5 days after the change had been approved and introduced to the rules of the game by the Scottish Football Association. It was awarded toAirdrieonians againstRoyal Albert in the final of the Airdrie Charity Cup on 6 June 1891 at Airdrieonians' then home ground of Mavisbank Park[41] 15 minutes into the match, with the eventual spot-kick being buried past the Albert keeper. The first penalty kick in theFootball League was awarded toWolverhampton Wanderers in their match againstAccrington atMolineux Stadium on 14 September 1891. The penalty was taken and scored byBilly Heath[42] as Wolves went on to win the game 5–0.
The laws of 1902 introduced the modern penalty area and the penalty spot
In 1892, the player taking the penalty-kick was forbidden to kick the ball again before the ball had touched another player. A provision was also added that "[i]f necessary, time of play shall be extended to admit of the penalty kick being taken".[43]
In 1896, the ball was required to be kicked forward, and the requirement for an appeal was removed.[44]
In 1902, thepenalty area was introduced with its current dimensions (a rectangle extending 18 yards (16 m) from the goal-posts). Thepenalty spot was also introduced, 12 yards (11 m) from the goal. All other players were required to be outside the penalty area.[45]
In 1905, the goalkeeper was required to remain on the goal-line.[46]
In 1923, all other players were required to be at least 10 yards (9.15 m) from the penalty-spot (in addition to being outside the penalty-area).[47] This change was made in order to stop defenders from lining up on the edge of the penalty area to impede the player taking the kick.[48]
Suggested "disposition of players at penalty kick" (1923), reflecting the pre-1923 laws
In 1930, a footnote was appended to the laws, stating that "the goal-keeper must not move his feet until the penalty kick has been taken".[49]
In 1937, an arc (colloquially known as the "D") was added to the pitch markings, to assist in the enforcement of the 10-yard (9.15 m) restriction.[50] The goalkeeper was required to stand between the goal-posts.[50]
In 1939, it was specified that the ball must travel the distance of its circumference before being in play.[51] In 1997, this requirement was eliminated: the ball became in play as soon as it was kicked and moved forward.[52] In 2016, it was specified that the ball must "clearly" move.[53]
In 1995, all other players were required to remain behind the penalty spot. TheScottish Football Association claimed that this new provision would "eliminate various problems which have arisen regarding the position of players who stand in front of the penalty-mark at the taking of a penalty-kick as is presently permitted".[54]
In 1997, the goalkeeper was once again allowed to move the feet, and was also required to face the kicker.[55]
The question of "feinting" during the run-up to a penalty was popularized byPelé in the 1970s and it was calledparadinha, which in Portuguese means "little stop".[56] It has occupied the International FA Board since 1982, when it was decided that "if a player stops in his run-up it is an offence for which he shall be cautioned (for ungentlemanly conduct) by the referee".[57] However, in 1985 the same body reversed itself, deciding that the "assumption that feigning was an offence" was "wrong", and that it was up to the Referee to decide whether any instance should be penalized as ungentlemanly conduct.[58] From 2000 to 2006, documents produced by IFAB specified thatfeinting during the run-up to a penalty-kick was permitted.[59] In 2007, this guidance emphasized that "if in the opinion of the referee the feinting is considered an act of unsporting behaviour, the player shall be cautioned".[60] In 2010, because of concern over "an increasing trend in players feinting a penalty kick to deceive the goalkeeper", a proposal was adopted to specify that while "feinting in the run-up to take a penalty kick to confuse opponents is permitted as part of football", "feinting to kick the ball once the player has completed his run-up is considered an infringement of Law 14 and an act of unsporting behaviour for which the player must be cautioned".[61]
In March 2025, thevideo assistant referee ruled ina Champions League shootout that a kick byJulián Alvarez counted as a miss due to a double touch: Alvarez' standing foot had skidded and grazed the ball as he kicked it.[62]UEFA queried this rationale with IFAB, which issued a "clarification" at its June 2025 meeting that such an accidental double touch should not count as an attacker infringement; instead, the penalty kick should be retaken.[63]
Since its introduction in 1891, a penalty kick has been awarded for two broad categories of offences:
handball
serious offences involving physical contact
The number of offences eligible for punishment by a penalty-kick, small when initially introduced in 1891, expanded rapidly thereafter. This led to some confusion: for example, in September 1891, a referee awarded a penalty kick against a goalkeeper who "[lost] his temper and [kicked] an opponent", even though under the 1891 laws this offence was punishable only by an indirect free-kick.[64]
The table below shows the punishments[65] specified by the laws for offences involving handling the ball or physical contact, between 1890 and 1903:[66]
Since 1903, the offences for which a penalty kick is awarded within the defending team's penalty area have been identical tothose for which a direct free kick is awardedoutside the defending team's penalty area. These consisted of handball (excluding technical handling offences by the goalkeeper), and foul play, with the following exceptions (which were punished instead by an indirect free kick in the penalty area):[70]
^Chiappori, P. -A; Levitt, S.; Groseclose, T. (1 September 2002), "Testing Mixed-Strategy Equilibria When Players Are Heterogeneous: The Case of Penalty Kicks in Soccer",The American Economic Review,92 (4):1138–1151,CiteSeerX10.1.1.178.1646,doi:10.1257/00028280260344678,JSTOR3083302
^van Hemert, R., van der Kamp, J. (2025). The role of performance pressure during shootouts in soccer. International Journal of Sport Psychology,56(2), 105-118.https://doi.org/10.7352/IJSP.2025.56.105
^For example:"Windsor Home Park v Maidenhead".Bell's Life in London: 8. 23 November 1872.F. Heron made a splendid shot at goal, which must have succeeded had not one of the Maidenhead men (not the goalkeeper) most unfairly stopped it with his hands. Of course the free kick ensued, but by this time the Maidenhead men had completely lined their goal, and, after a little scrimmage, Goolden succeeded in getting the ball away
^Taking more than two steps while holding the ball in own half; also, before 1901, handling the ball in own half for a purpose other than defence of the keeper's goal.
^Between 1892 and 1901, also "play[ing] in any manner likely to cause injury"
^Offences which could only be committed against the goalkeeper in his/her own penalty area are excluded from this list, since they could not lead to a penalty kick; see thefree kick article for further detail.
^Laws of the Game (1903) – viaWikisource.A goal may be scored from a free kick which is awarded because of any infringement of Law 9, but not from any other free kick.
^In 1997, this was abolished as a separate offence; all forms of charging an opponent "in a manner considered by the referee to be careless, reckless, or involving excessive force" became punishable by a direct free-kick
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